U.S., Russia spar over credit for killing terrorist
Both nations say planes targeted ISIL figure
The United States and Russia, which have clashed over the war in Syria, argued Wednesday over who was reponsible for targeting a key Islamic State leader believed killed the day before.
Tuesday, the Pentagon said U.S. warplanes attacked Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, the top Islamic State spokesman and strategist, in a strike in northern Syria.
Russia disputed that Wednesday, saying its planes targeted al-Adnani.
In response, the Pentagon said it was assessing whether al-Adnani was killed in the airstrike, but there was no evidence to back up the Russian claim. “We don’t have any information to support what the Russians put forward,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.
Both Russian and U.S. aircraft operate in the skies over Syria, where they have opposing goals: Russia backs the regime of embattled President Bashar Assad, while the United States supports rebels who want to oust Assad.
The two countries have pledged to target Islamic State militants in Syria, but the Pentagon has complained that Russian jets target anti-Assad rebels trained by the US military.
The U.S. and Russia are not cooperating on targeting, but they have agreed to communicate enough to avoid midair confrontations and ensure the safety of their pilots.
Al-Adnani’s death was first reported Tuesday by the Islamic State, also called ISIS or ISIL. After the news surfaced, the Pentagon said it targeted him with a precision strike near alBab in Allepo province but had not confirmed he was killed in the strike. The Russian Defense Ministry then said Russia killed alAdnani with an airstrike that targeted a group of 40 militants.
Regardless of who killed AlAdnani, his death is a blow to the Islamic State.